In the Shadows
by toledo girl
Summary: Marie claimed that she could never hurt anyone. Everyone has their breaking point though.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1: Trapped

The room was bleak. Sure, it was the room that belonged to a little girl. There was pink and purple and glitters and toys and drawings. The color was faded with the darkness that enveloped the room that night.

Marie sat in the rocking chair in the corner, hugging a pink teddy bear. Glazed over eyes kept their watch over the small girl that lay sleeping in the bed across the room. She watched as the small blonde peacefully slept, not a care in the world. How lucky she must be, to be so ignorant of the current situation.

"I'm so sorry," Marie whispered, a tear falling from her eye, rolling down her cheek. Her grip on the teddy bear tightened, squeezing the bear harder against her stomach. Her head dropped as she softly sobbed.

Two years earlier.

Marie sat in the car, a huge grin on her face. This is it, this is the moment that she had been waiting for. The very man that ruined her husband's life and had in turn hurt her, was now being arrested. He was being taken into custody as she stopped at the stop sign. There was nothing that could ever bring her more joy.

Even though this had to bring great pain to her sister, she enjoyed it. Skyler had sat back and allowed Walt to do all these horrible things. Walt is the reason that Hank had gotten shot and nearly died. He was the reason that they had to be guarded. And Skyler? She was the one that sat by and watched Walt, supporting him as all of this happened. So was it really so bad to get some happiness out of this?

She parked the car and headed towards the door. There was a different tone to her steps, they were lighter. Not only was Heisenberg off the streets, but, she would finally get her husband back and her sister back. Everything was about to get better. Finally,

"Oh my God!" she gasped. Marie wanted to scream, but it was taking her too long to process the scene before her. The entire house was torn apart, things broken and shattered on the ground, the furniture carelessly disassembled. Instinctively, she reached for her phone and began to dial.

"If you know what's best for you and your husband, you'll shut that door and don't say a word," the man threatened. He was one of Jack's men, went by the name of Bob. The scruffy older man motioned for her to oblige. "You really want me to get the gun out don't ya?" he asked.

Marie could clearly see the handle sticking out of his pants. He wasn't bluffing. She swallowed, obeying him. "You should know that my husband is a DEA agent. It's not like you're going to get away with this," she stated, attempting to call his threat.

Bob stepped towards her, eying her with ill intent. "I know damn well who your husband is," he told her. Stopping, there was now about a yard between the two. He grabbed a cigarette and lit it, taking a long, slow drag. "ASAC Schrader," he added.

Marie just stared. It was that sentence that made her stomach drop. "What have you done to my husband?" she firmly questioned. The color began to drain from her face.

"Don't you worry your pretty little head," he replied. The elder man took one last drag of his cigarette before carelessly tossing it onto the wooden floor, smothering it with his boot. "Just do as I say, and he'll be just fine," he instructed, his hand reaching up to stroke her face.

Marie cringed, her face twisted in disgust with his touch. "Don't you dare touch me," she demanded quickly backing away from him.

Bob, without any warning, put one hand on her shoulder and the other over her mouth. Forcefully, he shoved her back against the door. "Listen to me lady," he hissed, the scent of beer instantly making Marie sick to her stomach. She wanted so badly to just vomit. "If you think you're about to try anything, you should think about the fact that I know exactly where your husband is. I know where your sister lives with your niece and nephew."

Bob cautiously removed his hand from her mouth, testing her trust. "Why are you doing this?" Marie questioned, her voice shaky.

"We need that confession tape that your husband and his little rat Jesse made," he informed her.

Marie's eyes widened. Before she could say anything, Bob wrapped his arm around her belly, securing his other back on her mouth. He started dragging her to the master bedroom down the hall. Marie tried her hardest to kick and scream and fight, but it wasn't getting her anywhere.

Oooooo

_Marie sat on the toilet seat, anxiously staring before her. She was only seventeen years old at the time. _

"_What the hell is wrong with you?" Skyler implored. She stood with her arms crossed. _

"_You're one to talk!" Marie argued. _

"_That's different Marie. Walt and I are getting married. Besides, I'm twenty two, I have a job, I have a fiancee, and I have a high school diploma," she explained. "And just what do you have? Huh? Some guy you met at a party? Do you think that he'll even remember your name?" _

_Tears started to swell in Marie's eyes. She choked them back and looked to Skyler. "I made a mistake, okay?" she stated. She then looks down towards the ground. "God, you act as though you've never screwed up," she whispered. _

_Skyler briefly closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "I just don't want you screwing up your life. Okay? I have made mistakes, and I just don't want you to have to make the same ones," she gently informed her. _

_Marie wasn't answering. Typical. So Skyler went and sat down on the edge of the bathtub and wrapped her arms around her little sister. "I'm just trying to protect you."_

"_You always say that," Marie countered. _

_Skyler pulled back from her. "And I mean it. I feel like you're going to be fifty and I'll still be running around trying to save you from yourself," she stated, more pointedly than she had intended. _

_Marie sighed, grabbing at the test on the sink. She knew that Skyler always meant well. She had been the one to practically raise her. She did trust her with her very life. It was just annoying to have the responsible one always telling her what to do. "Negative," she casually announced. _

"_You got lucky this time," Skyler sharply told her. _

_Marie watched as Skyler stood and started towards the door. "I wouldn't have had to take the test if I didn't," she called to her. _

_Skyler stopped and shot a quick glare to her before leaving the room. _

oooooo

Marie lay there in bed, _their_ bed. Her hands tightly held the covers to her naked, empty shell of a body. Bob was gone by now, but she still could not bring herself to move. She felt like she wasn't even herself anymore, that she was outside, looking at the lifeless body that lay there. Her dark eyes were set at a dead stare at the wall.

Her body was just starting to gain back feeling as she was coming back from the shock, the disassociation from reality that allowed her to remain somewhat sane. The first thing she felt was the nausea forming within her. The next thing was the stickiness between her thighs. His stickiness, the dried essence that he had been sloppy enough to leave in his drunken state.

Moving her hands to her pillow, she tightly gripped it, turning to bury her face. She was finally able to sob. The fear and shame wasn't paralyzing her any longer.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Broken

Marie stood in front of her bathroom mirror, carefully getting her appearance in tact. She redid her hair and make up and stood back to double check herself. She had to look like she did when she left the carwash. There was no need for Skyler and Flynn to be asking her questions. The last thing she wanted was to talk to anyone about what had just happened.

This wasn't just to avoid talking about it though. There was a much deeper reason; she blamed Skyler for what had happened. Marie wasn't stupid, she knew that the amount of people after Hank have doubled, if not tripled, since Heisenberg arrived.

Skyler may not have come in there and raped her herself, but she did allow Walt to do whatever he pleased. Skyler was the one, standing there and watching as Walt endangered the entire family. If Skyler had put her foot down and called the police, or even just left him, all of this could have been avoided.

That was why Marie needed to prove a point. She could get hurt and it would not have to punish anyone else. She did love her sister, and she needed her, but she felt it necessary to have something to shove in her face later. She could see it now, telling Skyler that she was able to go over there and be there for her after she had lived through this nightmare, to be able to tell her that she had to be tortured protecting the family from what her monster of a husband had done.

As soon as she was satisfied, she nodded to herself. She opened the cabinet and grabbed a few aspirins, she wanted to try and get rid of the soreness before she got there. Really, she knew that she should have gone to the emergency room or her doctor to get examined, but it just did not seem important to her right now.

Oooooo

It was later that night. Skyler stood there, silently crying as she handed the phone over the police officer. Marie sat on the couch, sobbing into her hands while Flynn sat there, his hands on her shoulders trying to comfort her. She barely even felt his grip though. Her entire body fell numb, leaving her only able to feel one thing, total and complete emptiness.

It took her a few minutes, but she was finally able to lift her head and attempt to dry her eyes. As soon as she looked up though, her eyes met Skyler's. This was her fault. Marie had just lost everything because of her. Everything that had happened today was because of her. Maybe not directly, but she did play a huge role in allowing it to happen.

"Excuse me," she mumbled, standing to her feet. Her pace slow and steady, she started down the hall towards the bathroom. She got into the room and carefully closed the door behind her. The entire time, she had been watching her breathing, trying her hardest to regulate it. Her hands, now at her sides, were trembling from both the despair and rage boiling up inside of her.

Slowly, she made her way to the sink, her hands gripping onto the edges of it. She kept her eyes down, focusing on the faucet as it dripped. Her breathing became more rapid as her grip tightened. Bob's final words to her were ringing through her ears.

_Bob stood at the end of the bed, buttoning his shirt. "I noticed no kids rooms here," he casually mentioned. He then turned back to Marie. "What? Does he shoot blanks? Or is he too busy getting into other people's business to even notice you? Because he sure as hell didn't go out of his way to protect you. He was too busy pointing a gun at your brother in law," he explained. _

As she tightly shut her eyes, her palms slipped on the smooth linoleum, forcing her nails into her palms. She let out a scream, raising her fist and punching the mirror. Her legs collapsed beneath her, and she feel to her knees. One hand was placed on the ground to steady her, while she held the other up, still balled in a fist. The blood was quickly flooding down her arm. She wanted to start sobbing, instead she sat there, gasping for air, fighting the urge to vomit. The room was suddenly closing in around her, trapping her.

"Marie!" Skyler called from the other side of the door. "Marie! I need to know that you're okay!" she anxiously stated.

Marie quickly turned and looked towards the door. A knot in her stomach. She reached over and grabbed onto the sink, using it to pull herself to her feet.

___Skyler went and sat down on the edge of the bathtub and wrapped her arms around her little sister. "I'm just trying to protect you."_

"___You always say that," Marie countered.  
_

___Skyler pulled back from her. "And I mean it. I feel like you're going to be fifty and I'll still be running around trying to save you from yourself," she stated, more pointedly than she had intended._

Marie opened the door, standing there with emotionless eyes. "You wanted to make sure that I'm okay?" she sharply jabbed at her.

Skyler stood there, still in shock from the phone call, she nodded. "I heard you scream and there was loud crash," she explained, trying to steady her voice. She lost her husband and she was worried about her baby coming back home safely, she did not want to lose her sister, not again.

Marie nodded, her eyes watering. "You used to care," she coldly stated. "You knew what your husband was capable of. You knew and you didn't do anything about it. You could have prevented all of this," she told her.

Skyler could not argue. "I know," she softly whimpered, the thought of Holly out there scared and crying plaguing her mind. Her eyes went down to the blood that stained her sleeves. "I'm sorry," she whispered, looking up to Marie.

Marie shook her head. "It's too late for that," she told her.

Skyler wanted to cry, but stopped herself. "Marie, you have to believe me. I didn't know he would kill Hank," she pleaded.

"You were supposed to protect me!" Marie finally snapped. Suddenly, she wanted to attack Skyler, she wanted to get back at her for all the pain that she caused. She couldn't though, all she could do was make sure that she knew. "I was raped today! What do you call that Skyler? I sure as hell don't call that protection. What about letting Hank get killed? Was that for my own sake?"

Skyler's eyes widened. She went to grab Marie's shoulder's but her sister pulled away. "Who raped you?" she firmly inquired. The police were right out in the living room. All she had to do was give them some sort of description.

Marie gathered her composure, and stared straight into Skyler's eyes. "It might as well have been you," she replied.

Skyler sighed, putting her arm out to stop Marie from leaving the room. Although her little remark did sting her, she wasn't about to let it stop her from doing what she had to do. "Listen to me. You need to go tell them something about the man that raped you. You understand? My husband was just caught by your husband and I know for a fact that other people know. Do you hear me? There could be people coming after you. They need to know that people have already gotten to you," she instructed.

"So now you're afraid of me getting hurt? Where was that when you and your husband made that tape? Where was that fear when Hank got shot?" she desperately implored. "All I want to do is be here long enough to make sure that Holly gets home. I don't think I can even stand to look at your face after that," she spat.

Skyler dropped her arm, allowing her sister to leave the room. It was useless to try and talk any sense into her right now. Even though she was hurt at the blame that had been placed on her, she couldn't help but fee worried. That wasn't exactly Marie. She was worried about what she might do if she were alone.

Skyler turned and made her way back out into the living room. The first thing that she noticed was that both Marie and Flynn were gone. She was about to ask if she had mentioned anything, but saw the two of them outside through the window. The two looked like they were just standing there, no words being exchanged. Although, she couldn't see their faces very clearly. It was too dark out to get a good view. As long as they were both still here, that was all that mattered at the moment.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Empty

Marie stood, setting the stuffed animal in her place on the chair. She carefully left the room, drying her eyes on the back of her sleeve as she shut the door behind her. It was only a matter of time now.

She stopped at the end of the hall, her eyes wandering around the living room. One of the first things that caught her eyes were Flynn's crutches, leaning against the arm of the couch. Just sitting there, waiting. Was he upset with her too? Did he even know yet?

Marie shook the thought from her head. It was too late to even care. There was nothing left to care about anymore. Lowering her head, she carefully made her way into the kitchen. She could feel it as she accidentally stepped into the puddle of blood. Her eyes went to the sticky mess that surrounded her foot, the mess that she caused. Marie was finally able to pry her eyes away, just long enough to spot the gun. That too was still lying on the floor, surrounded by its victim's blood.

The metallic smell was strong enough to taste. It was starting to get to her, making her want to gag. Tightly shutting her eyes, she took a moment to just breathe. "I'm so sorry Skyler," she whispered, beginning to softly sob. Now, she was able to finally open her eyes. She walked over and knelt down to the ground, her hand hovering over the weapon.

Oooooo

Marie closed the door behind her, locking it and then stood there, solemnly looking around the hotel room. Even if she were allowed to go back to her own house, she couldn't. It would feel empty and wrong. That was their house, not just her house.

Her hand loosened and allowed her suitcase to drop to the floor. The trembling returned. She didn't care. She had been overcome with this almost nihilistic attitude. So what if something happened to her? So what if their house was ruined? So what? There was nothing to go back home to, and there was no one to care if anything happened. She was all alone with nothing forcing her to go on with her life. No children, she lost her husband and her sister, and she knew that she would rarely ever see those kids. Nothing mattered anymore. It all meant nothing.

The air around her stood still and quiet. Normally, that would have driven her nuts. She ran her fingers through her hair, brushing it back from her swollen, red, tear stained face. In a zombie like trance, she proceeded to make her way to the bathroom, closing and locking the door. A shower. That was what she wanted, a shower.

She went to pull off her shirt, but her attempt failed. It was impossible to remove her clothing without thinking about that vile man. Marie's face twisted in pain and disgust as she pulled her hands away from the bottom of her shirt.

Taking in a shuddering breath, she looked up, catching her reflection in the mirror. She expected to feel some sort of shame or anger but, she did not feel a thing. She had forced herself to remain numb. She simply nodded, accepting what had become of her.

Dazed, Marie went ahead and started the shower. The water was almost scorching, immediately it had begun filling the room with steam. After a moment of just watching the water, she climbed into the tub, standing beneath the water. It stung as it hit her skin, but she barely even flinched. Her clothes were soaked, uncomfortably clinging to her, her make up running and smearing down her face.

Then it finally happened, she felt the pain, she was able to start crying. It was almost an instant sobbing. Her emotions pouring out of her. Her knees collapsing, causing her to fall to the floor. She leaned her side against the wall, one arm draped around her belly and the other combing her hair back from her face. She was in pain in every way possible, and somehow, it was a relief to feel it.

Oooooo

Flynn sat in his room. All the pictures of him and his father together had been removed. The very man that he looked to as a hero, he now viewed as a monster.

It was hard. Most of what he remembered about his father were good things. He could remember just over a year ago, just how much he looked up to him. What happened? Why did that have to change?

He laid back on his bed, staring up at the ceiling. In the past few hours he had been hurt, scared, betrayed, and confused. Most of all though, he was angry. He lost his father and found out that everyone had been keeping secrets from him.

It all made sense now. His mother forcing his father out of the house, the tension between the two.

"Flynn?" Skyler called from the other side of the door as she gently knocked. She never really got the chance to talk to him about all of this. Even if he hated her right now, which she was sure he did, he deserved to hear her side. He deserved to hear why she stuck around and what exactly happened and not just some quick sob story that Marie had. Marie wasn't there, and she couldn't know what that man had put his family through.

"G-go away!" he yelled. That was all he had to say to her. Sure, he had heard the phone call earlier, but he wasn't sure that he believed it.

Skyler nodded. "I'll be out here whenever you're ready," she assured him. She lingered at the door a moment, hoping that maybe he would change his mind. A moment of silence passed.

Biting her lip, Sklyer lowered her head and walked to her bedroom. It was cold and lonely, but it wasn't all that different from when Walt was there. The last time that this place had any real warmth was back before Walt was diagnosed with cancer. Even before that though, there had been this distance growing between them.

Skyler went and sat down on the edge of her bed. She glanced over to what used to be Walt's side. Yes, she did miss him, but she missed Walt. That man that she fought with earlier, the one that took her daughter and ran, that wasn't Walt. Walt had died a year ago.


End file.
